How victim sensitivity affects our attitudes and behaviour towards immigrants.

Three studies explore the relation between victim sensitivity-the sensitivity to being a victim of injustice - and anti-immigration attitudes and behaviour. Based on theoretical considerations and prior research, we hypothesized that victim sensitivity positively predicts anti-immigration attitudes and behaviour over and above political orientation and ideology. Results from a longitudinal study (Study 1; N = 1038), a computerized online experiment (Study 2; N = 299), and a laboratory experiment (Study 3; N = 178) provide support for this hypothesis. Studies 2 and 3 indicate that a heightened fear of exploitation mediates the effect of victim sensitivity on anti-immigration attitudes and behaviour even though attempts to scrutinize this mechanism by 'switching off' the psychological process were unsuccessful. We discuss methodological and theoretical implications and possible avenues for future research.

Immune boosting and ameliorative properties of aqueous extract of Vernonia amygdalina Delile against MSG-induced genotoxicity: An in silico and in vivo approach.

Vernonia amygdalina (VA) is popularly consumed as food and as medicine due to its nutritional and bioactive constituents. This study assessed the anti-genotoxic effect of aqueous leaf extract of VA against monosodium (MSG) -induced genotoxicity. Crude extraction and phytochemical analysis were done using standard methods. In silico studies was done using compounds in the extract against Bcl-2, NF-kB 50, DNA polymerase lambda, DNA ligase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX). Twelve rats were divided into three groups with four rats in each group. Group I was fed on food and water, group II received MSG (4 g/kg) per body weight (pbw) intraperitoneally, group III received MSG (4 g/kg) pbw intraperitoneally followed by oral dose of VA leaf extract (250 mg/kg) per body weight. The number of the micronucleated red blood cells and white blood cells were determined from blood smears microscopically. Results showed that aqueous extract of VA contained in mg/100 g alkaloids (7.04 ± 0.16), saponins (3.91 ± 0.13), flavonoid (1.64 ± 0.16), phenol (3.40 ± 0.12) and tannins (0.07 ± 0.32). In silico studies revealed high binding interaction (ΔG > -8.6) of vernoniosides D and E with all the tested proteins. There was a reduction in the number of micronucleated cells, neutrophils and eosinophils of the treated group compared to the MSG group, while there was an increase in the lymphocyte count. The anti-genotoxic effects of VA leaf extract might be attributed to the synergistic interaction of the various bioactive components in the extract. VA could be a potential plant for the prevention of cancer and other diseases that attenuate the immune system.

Hemoglobin S target of <50% as compared to 30% in chronic red cell exchange for secondary stroke prevention in sickle cell disease.

BACKGROUND: Sickle cell disease (SCD) patients with a history of stroke are encouraged to receive chronic red blood cell exchange (RBCx) for stroke prevention. The American Society of Hematology guideline published in 2020 recommends an HbS target of <30%. However, this approach necessitates more frequent RBCx and more RBC units. UT Southwestern has devised a chronic exchange protocol that elevates the HbS target to <50% in patients with a low risk of stroke. STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective chart review study reviewed the medical records of patients receiving chronic RBCx with a target of HbS <50% over the past 10-year period to assess the safety of maintaining higher HbS targets in SCD patients with a low risk of cerebrovascular accidents (CVA). RESULTS: Among 49 SCD patients in the chronic RBCx program for secondary stroke prevention, 33 patients were maintained on an HbS target of <50% (average measured: 35.4%) for the duration of RBCx program enrollment (median 93.0 months, 95% CI, 83-99). Stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) clearly attributable to changing target HbS had not been identified among the 33 study subjects. Seven patients experienced conversion between the HbS targets of <50% and <30% HbS target. Significant reductions were observed in the frequency of RBCx and usage of blood volume in four of them. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that liberalizing the HbS target could confer clinical flexibility without increasing the risk of CVA in a selective population. Further studies to fully evaluate the potential benefits of this approach are indicated.

Polyphenolic Natural Products Active In Silico Against SARS-CoV-2 Spike Receptor Binding Domains and Non-structural Proteins - A Review.

The ongoing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has been proven to be more severe than the previous coronavirus outbreaks due to the virus' high transmissibility. With the emergence of new variants, this global phenomenon took a more dramatic turn, with many countries recently experiencing higher surges of confirmed cases and deaths. On top of this, the inadequacy of effective treatment options for COVID-19 aggravated the problem. As a way to address the unavailability of target-specific viral therapeutics, computational strategies have been employed to hasten and systematize the search. The objective of this review is to provide initial data highlighting the utility of polyphenols as potential prophylaxis or treatment for COVID-19. In particular, presented here are virtually screened polyphenolic compounds which showed potential as either antagonists to viral entry and host cell recognition through binding with various receptor-binding regions of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein or as inhibitors of viral replication and post-translational modifications through binding with essential SARS-CoV-2 non-structural proteins.

Evaluation of surgical skill using machine learning with optimal wearable sensor locations.

Evaluation of surgical skills during minimally invasive surgeries is needed when recruiting new surgeons. Although surgeons' differentiation by skill level is highly complex, performance in specific clinical tasks such as pegboard transfer and knot tying could be determined using wearable EMG and accelerometer sensors. A wireless wearable platform has made it feasible to collect movement and muscle activation signals for quick skill evaluation during surgical tasks. However, it is challenging since the placement of multiple wireless wearable sensors may interfere with their performance in the assessment. This study utilizes machine learning techniques to identify optimal muscles and features critical for accurate skill evaluation. This study enrolled a total of twenty-six surgeons of different skill levels: novice (n = 11), intermediaries (n = 12), and experts (n = 3). Twelve wireless wearable sensors consisting of surface EMGs and accelerometers were placed bilaterally on bicep brachii, tricep brachii, anterior deltoid, flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU), extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU), and thenar eminence (TE) muscles to assess muscle activations and movement variability profiles. We found features related to movement complexity such as approximate entropy, sample entropy, and multiscale entropy played a critical role in skill level identification. We found that skill level was classified with highest accuracy by i) ECU for Random Forest Classifier (RFC), ii) deltoid for Support Vector Machines (SVM) and iii) biceps for Naïve Bayes Classifier with classification accuracies 61%, 57% and 47%. We found RFC classifier performed best with highest classification accuracy when muscles are combined i) ECU and deltoid (58%), ii) ECU and biceps (53%), and iii) ECU, biceps and deltoid (52%). Our findings suggest that quick surgical skill evaluation is possible using wearables sensors, and features from ECU, deltoid, and biceps muscles contribute an important role in surgical skill evaluation.

Beyond Efficiency: Surface Electromyography Enables Further Insights into the Surgical Movements of Urologists.

Introduction: Surgical skill evaluation while performing minimally invasive surgeries is a highly complex task. It is important to objectively assess an individual's technical skills throughout surgical training to monitor progress and to intervene when skills are not commensurate with the year of training. The miniaturization of wireless wearable platforms integrated with sensor technology has made it possible to noninvasively assess muscle activations and movement variability during performance of minimally invasive surgical tasks. Our objective was to use electromyography (EMG) to deconstruct the motions of a surgeon during robotic suturing (RS) and distinguish quantifiable movements that characterize the skill of an experienced expert urologic surgeon from trainees. Methods: Three skill groups of participants, novice (n = 11), intermediate (n = 12), and expert (n = 3), were enrolled in the study. A total of 12 wireless wearable sensors consisting of surface EMGs and accelerometers were placed along upper extremity muscles to assess muscle activations and movement variability, respectively. Participants then performed a RS task. Results: EMG-based parameters, total time, dominant frequency, and cumulative muscular workload, were significantly different across the three skill groups. We also found nonlinear movement variability parameters such as correlation dimension, Lyapunov exponent trended differently across the three skill groups. Conclusions: These findings suggest that economy of motion variables and nonlinear movement variabilities are affected by surgical experience level. Wearable sensor signal analysis could make it possible to objectively evaluate surgical skill level periodically throughout the residency training experience. Clinical Trial Registration Number: HS# 2018-4407.

Citizenship Matters: Non-Citizen COVID-19 Mortality Disparities in New York and Los Angeles.

U.S. non-citizen residents are burdened by inequitable access to socioeconomic resources, potentially placing them at heightened risk of COVID-19-related disparities. However, COVID-19 impacts on non-citizens are not well understood. Accordingly, the current study investigated COVID-19 mortality disparities within New York (NYC) and Los Angeles (LAC) to test our hypothesis that areas with large proportions of non-citizens will have disproportionately high COVID-19 mortality rates. We examined ecological associations between March 2020-January 2021 COVID-19 mortality rates (per 100,000 residents) and percent non-citizens (using ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTA) for NYC and City/Community units of analysis for LAC) while controlling for sociodemographic factors. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed significant positive associations between the percentage of non-citizen residents and COVID-19 mortality rates in NYC (95% CI 0.309, 5.181) and LAC (95% CI 0.498, 8.720). Despite NYC and LAC policies intended to provide sanctuary and improve healthcare access for non-citizen residents, communities with larger proportions of non-citizens appear to endure higher COVID-19 mortality rates. The challenges that non-citizens endure-e.g., inequitable access to public benefits-may discourage help-seeking behaviors. Thus, improved health surveillance, public health messaging, and sanctuary policies will be essential for reducing COVID-19 mortality disparities in communities with large shares of non-citizens.

Co-Treatment of Copper Oxide Nanoparticle and Carbofuran Enhances Cardiotoxicity in Zebrafish Embryos.

The use of chemicals to boost food production increases as human consumption also increases. The insectidal, nematicidal and acaricidal chemical carbofuran (CAF), is among the highly toxic carbamate pesticide used today. Alongside, copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO) are also used as pesticides due to their broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. The overuse of these pesticides may lead to leaching into the aquatic environments and could potentially cause adverse effects to aquatic animals. The aim of this study is to assess the effects of carbofuran and copper oxide nanoparticles into the cardiovascular system of zebrafish and unveil the mechanism behind them. We found that a combination of copper oxide nanoparticle and carbofuran increases cardiac edema in zebrafish larvae and disturbs cardiac rhythm of zebrafish. Furthermore, molecular docking data show that carbofuran inhibits acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in silico, thus leading to impair cardiac rhythms. Overall, our data suggest that copper oxide nanoparticle and carbofuran combinations work synergistically to enhance toxicity on the cardiovascular performance of zebrafish larvae.

The role of pre-season health characteristics as injury risk factors in female adolescent soccer players.

[Purpose] Determine if female adolescent soccer players with a history of concussion, impaired K-D scores, and pre-season subjective complaints of neck pain, dizziness, and headache were predisposed to additional risk of musculoskeletal or concussive injury during 10-weeks of competitive play. [Participants and Methods] Twenty-three female high school soccer athletes provided concussion history and reported pre-season subjective complaints. K-D testing was performed pre and postseason. During the 10-week season, all injuries, preventing participation in practice or game, were recorded. [Results] Six reported a history of concussion. Of those six, three injuries were reported, including two concussions and a hamstring strain. Baseline K-D scores were worse in athletes that had two or more pre-season subjective factors compared to those that did not have any. Moderate positive correlations were found between a history of concussion and the number of injuries and a history of concussion and K-D post-test scores. [Conclusion] Findings indicate that pre-season subjective factors of neck pain, dizziness and headache, history of concussion, and K-D potentially increased injury risk. Combining pre-season metrics both at baseline and during the course of the season may assist in better injury risk screening in-season or indicate suboptimal function due to cumulative effects.

Lumbar facet cyst tuberculosis: a rare cause of cauda equina compression. Illustrative case.

BACKGROUND: Spinal tuberculosis may present in atypical form to involve only the posterior spinal element with relative sparing of the anterior vertebral body and intervertebral disc. Recognition of this unusual pattern is important to avoid delay in diagnosis and treatment. OBSERVATIONS: The authors report a case of a 59-year-old woman with right-sided radiculopathy and motor weakness. Her lumbosacral magnetic resonance imaging showed a large heterogeneous cyst arising from the right L4-5 facet joint. Laminectomy with excision of the cyst was performed. During surgery, the cyst contained cheese-like material that, on histopathological examination, revealed focal aggregates of tuberculous granuloma. Postoperatively, the patient recovered remarkably with no interval development of instability or any deformity. LESSONS: Facet cyst tuberculosis is rare but should be considered in the differential diagnosis in patients coming from endemic regions. Laminectomy with excision of the cyst along with concurrent antitubercular chemotherapy is a safe and durable treatment option in this case.

Transmission of disorder and etiological information: Effects on health knowledge recollection and health-related cognition.

Biased transmission of health knowledge has far-reaching effects on information reproduction and health-related cognitions. We examined whether transmissions of different types of disorder and etiological information influence recollections of health knowledge and evaluations of patients, by simulating the digital transmission of information. Transmission chains of four non-interacting persons (i.e., four generations) were formed. The first generation read three vignettes describing fictitious patients with one of three disorders (physiological, psychological, culture-bound) uniquely paired with one of three etiologies (genetic, environmental, unknown etiology). Next, they evaluated patients' well-being, rated desired social distance, and recalled the vignettes. These written recollections replaced the original vignettes for a second-generation of participants, whose recollections were used for the third generation and so on. The framing of disorders affected recollections of etiology, in which culture-bound framings resulted in the poorest recall of etiologies. Participants also perceived the culture-bound disorder as the least serious but desired the most social distance from patients diagnosed with it, when compared to other disorders. The study showed that health information is selectively attended to and reproduced, possibly affected by perceived self-relevance. Faulty recollections and framing of disorders affect health cognitions, potentially instigating biased transmission of disorder- and patient-related narratives.

[Bushmeat, human impacts and human health in tropical rainforests: The Ebola virus case]. / Viande de brousse, impacts anthropiques et santé humaine dans les forêts tropicales humides : le cas du virus Ebola.

At a time when more than 5 million tonnes of bushmeat are harvested annually from tropical forests, and which account for a significant, but unrecorded, share of the gross domestic product of many forest countries, decision makers are encouraged, within conservation and food security policies, to understand the role that wildlife can play in the conservation of ecosystem services. In this article, we present an analysis of the problem, describing the role played by bushmeat in human diets, and the health risks linked to the consumption of bushmeat, in particular with regard to Ebola disease, to provide insights on the direction of possible strategies to manage the use of wildlife for meeting the needs of local populations and reducing risks to human health.

Molecular detection of ephemeral fever virus among large ruminants in the Philippines.

In the Philippines, bovine ephemeral fever (BEF) is currently undetected and considered as an exotic disease of both cattle and water buffaloes. The Philippines until now has no official data regarding the occurrence of BEF. There were no existing control programs or vaccine used for the prevention of the disease. However, there are claims of BEF existence in different water buffalo and cattle farms based on the clinical signs but never confirmed using laboratory test yet. Detection of BEF virus in cattle and water buffalo blood samples was conducted using reverse-transcription PCR targeting the glycoprotein (G) gene, a conserved region in the BEF virus genome. The samples were collected from 22 cattle and 50 water buffaloes with clinical signs suggesting of BEF infection. All water buffalo blood samples were negative while four cattle blood samples turned positive for BEF virus. The G gene partial sequence analysis from two BEF virus positive samples showed close relationship to Australian isolates.

Occupational therapy and physiotherapy education and workforce in Anglophone sub-Saharan Africa countries.

BACKGROUND: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries are faced with the challenge of educating a critical mass of occupational therapists (OTs) and physiotherapists (PTs) to meet the growing demand for health and rehabilitation services. The World Federation of Occupational Therapy (WFOT) and World Confederation of Physical Therapy (WCPT) have argued for the need of graduate-level training for OTs and PTs for decades. However, very few studies have been conducted to determine the availability of OT and PT training programs and practitioners in SSA countries. METHODS: Initial data were collected and compiled from an extensive literature search conducted using MEDLINE and PubMed to examine the availability of OT and PT education and training programs in SSA countries. Additional data were collected, compiled, and collated from academic institutions, ministries of health, health professions associations, and licensing authorities in SSA countries. Secondary data were also collected from the websites of organizations such as the World Bank, World Health Organization (WHO), WFOT, and WCPT. RESULTS: This investigation revealed that there are limited number of OT and PT training programs and that these training programs in Anglophone SSA countries are offered at or below the bachelor's level. More than half of the countries do not have OT or PT training programs. The number of qualified OTs and PTs appears to be insufficient to meet the demand for rehabilitation services. Nigeria and South Africa are the only countries offering post-entry-level masters and doctoral-level training programs in physiotherapy and occupational therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Higher learning institutions in SSA countries need to collaborate and partner with other regional and foreign universities to elevate the educational training and increase the supply of PTs and OTs in the region.

Traditional Birth Attendant reorientation and Motherpacks incentive's effect on health facility delivery uptake in Narok County, Kenya: An impact analysis.

BACKGROUND: A community health programme in Narok County in Kenya aimed to improve skilled birth assistance during childbirth through two demand side interventions. First, traditional birth attendants (TBAs) were co-opted into using their influence to promote use of skilled birth attendants (SBAs) at health facilities during delivery, and to accompany pregnant women to health facilities in return for a Ksh500 (Approximately USD5 as of August 2016) cash incentive for each pregnant mother they accompanied. Secondly, a free Motherpack consisting of a range of baby care items was given to each mother after delivering at a health facility. This paper estimates the impact of these two interventions on trends of facility deliveries over a 36-month period here. METHODS: Dependency or inferred causality was estimated between reorientation of TBAs and provision of Motherpacks with changes in facility delivery numbers. The outcome variable consists of monthly facility delivery data from 28 health facilities starting from January 2013 to December 2015 obtained from the District Health Information Systems 2 (DHIS2). Data were collected on the 13th, 14th or 15th of each month, resulting in a total of 35 collections, over 35 months. The intervention data consisted of the starting month for each of the two interventions at each of the 28 facilities. A negative binomial generalized linear model framework is applied to model the relationship as all variables were measured as count data and were overdispersed. All analyses were conducted using R software. FINDINGS: During the 35 months considered, a total of 9095 health facility deliveries took place, a total of 408 TBAs were reached, and 2181 Motherpacks were distributed. The reorientation of TBAs was significant (p = 0.009), as was the provision of Motherpacks (p = .0001). The number of months that passed since the start of the intervention was also found to be significant (p = 0.033). The introduction of Motherpacks had the greatest effect on the outcome (0.2), followed by TBA intervention (0.15). Months since study start had a much lower effect (0.05). CONCLUSION: Collaborating with TBAs and offering basic commodities important to mothers and babies (Motherpacks) immediately after delivery at health facilities, can improve the uptake of health facility delivery services in poor rural communities that maintain a strong bias for TBA assisted home delivery.

Unilateral tonsilar hypertrophy in a 4-year-old girl with focal dermal hypoplasia (Goltz syndrome)

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of unilateral tonsillar hypertrophy resulting in severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea in a 4-year-old girl with focal dermal hypoplasia (FDH, Goltz or Goltz-Gorlin) Syndrome.METHODS:Design: Case ReportSetting: Tertiary Private Teaching HospitalPatient: OneRESULTS: A 4-year-old girl with Goltz Syndrome (classical features of cutaneous and osteopathic disorders since birth) and unilateral tonsillar hypertrophy manifested with snoring and apneic episodes at two years of age. Polysomnography revealed severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Arterial Blood Gases revealed metabolic acidosis with hypoxemia. A tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy improved breathing, appetite and sleep with resolution of snoring and apneic spells and final tonsil histopathology revealed lymphoepithelial polyp.CONCLUSION: A 4-year-old child with Goltz syndrome who developed severe obstructive sleep apnea due to tonsillar hypertrophy was presented. Otolaryngologists should be aware of this syndrome which may manifest with oral and mucosal lesions. Although rare, Goltz syndrome may be considered in the differential diagnosis of tonsillar hypertrophy especially in the presence of the inherent clinical features. Physicians should educate patients and address the co-morbidities associated with it through individualized treatment.

Unilateral tonsilar hypertrophy in a 4-year-old girl with focal dermal hypoplasia (Goltz Syndrome)

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>OBJECTIVE:</strong> To report a case of unilateral tonsillar hypertrophy resulting in severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea in a 4-year-old girl with focal dermal hypoplasia (FDH, Goltz or Goltz-Gorlin) Syndrome.<br /><strong>METHODS:</strong><br /><strong>Design:</strong> Case Report<br /><strong>Setting:</strong> Tertiary Private Teaching Hospital<br /><strong>Patient:</strong> One<br /><strong>RESULTS:</strong> A 4-year-old girl with Goltz Syndrome (classical features of cutaneous and osteopathic disorders since birth) and unilateral tonsillar hypertrophy manifested with snoring and apneic episodes at two years of age. Polysomnography revealed severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Arterial Blood Gases revealed metabolic acidosis with hypoxemia. A tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy improved breathing, appetite and sleep with resolution of snoring and apneic spells and final tonsil histopathology revealed lymphoepithelial polyp.<br /><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> A 4-year-old child with Goltz syndrome who developed severe obstructive sleep apnea due to tonsillar hypertrophy was presented. Otolaryngologists should be aware of this syndrome which may manifest with oral and mucosal lesions. Although rare, Goltz syndrome may be considered in the differential diagnosis of tonsillar hypertrophy especially in the presence of the inherent clinical features. Physicians should educate patients and address the co-morbidities associated with it through individualized treatment.</p>

A case report of shoulder fatigue imbalance in wheelchair rugby: implications to pain and injury.

The purpose of this case-control study was to examine potential agonist-antagonist fatigue imbalance during wheelchair rugby activity. A 16-channel NORAXON electromyography (EMG) system 1400A with telemetry was used to assess EMG activity in a 39-year-old male with a C6 complete spinal cord injury (American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) A), 17.5 years post injury. Mean amplitude and median frequency were determined for push-phase agonists (anterior deltoid and pectoralis major) and antagonist (posterior deltoid) across four training sessions at a community fitness and Paralympic training facility. Unlike continuous wheelchair pushing, acute muscle imbalances between agonists and antagonists (that is, push and recovery muscles) were not demonstrated. Wheelchair sports such as rugby may reduce risk of shoulder pain and overuse injury due to intermittent activity rather than continuous pushing. The current study is one of the first to document sport fatigue through electromyography during intermittent, live play rather than clinical conditions (that is, continuous pushing).

Detección de anticuerpos contra agentes virales y bacterias atípicas en el suero de pacientes con infección respiratoria, Estado Zulia- Venezuela, periodo 2005 - 2010 / Detection of Antibodies against Viral Agents and Atypical Bacteria in the Serum of Patients with Respiratory Infections, State of Zulia, Venezuela, 2005-2010

El propósito de este estudio fue detectar anticuerpos contra virus respiratorios y bacterias atípicas en el suero de pacientes con infección respiratoria, en el Estado Zulia-Venezuela entre enero 2005 y diciembre 2010. Se analizaron 283 muestras de pacientes con sintomatología de infección respiratoria, clasificados en grupos etarios de 1-23 meses, 2-6, 7-14, 15-19, 20-40, 41-64 y 65 años de edad y más. La IgM sérica contra agentes virales (Adenovirus, Parainfluenza 1, 2, 3, Influenza A y B y Virus Sincicial Respiratorio) y bacterias atípicas (Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Legionella pneumophila serogrupo 1, Coxiella burnetii, Chlamydophila pneumoniae) se determinaron por el método de inmunofluorescencia indirecta (IFI). Del total resultaron 113 pacientes seropositivos a los agentes estudiados, no se encontraron coinfecciones. El agente más frecuentemente encontrado fue el VSR (27/113) 23,89% (p<0,01), seguido de Legionella pneumophila serogrupo 1 (19/113) 16,81%, (p<0,001), Adenovirus (16/113) 14,16%, Mycoplasma pneumoniae (15/113) 13,27%, Parainfluenza 1,2,3 (14/113) 12,40% e Influenza A y B (13/113) 11,5%, mientras que para Coxiella burnetii (6/113) se obtuvo 5,31% y para Chlamydophila pneumoniae (3/113) 2,65%. Los más afectados fueron los adultos jóvenes y medios. En conclusión los virus respiratorios causan gran parte de las infecciones en la población analizada, no obstante, es importante destacar la alta frecuencia de bacterias atípicas en la región.

The purpose of this study was to determine the presence of serum antibodies against respiratory viruses and atypical bacteria in patients with respiratory infections in the State of Zulia, Venezuela, between January 2005 and December 2010. Two-hundred eighty-three (283) serum samples from those patients were analyzed. Patients were classified according to age as: 1 to 23 months, 2 to 6 years, 7 to 14, 15 to 19, 20 to 40, 41 to 64 and 65 years old and over. Seric IgM against viral agents (Adenovirus, Parainfluenza 1, 2, 3, Influenza A and B and respiratory syncytial virus: RSV) and atypical bacteria (Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Legionella pneumophila serotype 1, Coxiella burnetii and Chlamydophila pneumoniae) were determined by indirect immunofluorescence. Of the 283 samples, 113 were seropositive; no co-infections were found. The most frequently found agent was RSV (27/113; 23.89%; p<0.01), followed by Legionella pneumophila serotype 1 (19/113; 16.81%; p<0.001). Adenovirus (16/113; 14.16%), Mycoplasma pneumoniae (15/113; 13.27%), Parainfluenza 1, 2 3 (14/113; 12.40%), Influenza A and B (13/113; 11.5%), Coxiella burnetii (6/113; 5.31%) and Chlamydophila pneumoniae (3/113; 2.65%) were less frequent. Young and middle-aged adults were the most affected. In conclusion, respiratory viruses cause a great part of the infections in the analyzed population; however, it is important to note the high frequency of atypical bacteria in the region.